Toy.



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT GIBSON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

TOY.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 715,782, dated December 16, 1902.

Application filed February 26, 1902. Serial No. 95,800. (No model.)

To all whom zit may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT GIBSON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Providence, in the State of Rhode Island,have invented a new and Amusing Toy Called The Gymnast,7 of which the following is a specification. c j

My invention is a jointed ligure of a man hanging by his hands from a horizontal bar, with his limbs so shaped and so proportioned in size to the size of his body and said limbs so placed in position upon that body that upon drawing and releasing the thread attached to his head he performs peculiar motions upon the said bar. This thread passes from the head of the man to an overhead pin and thence downward through an eyelet in the base to the hand of the operator. The aforementioned Amotions consist of swinging, (when'suspended byrhis hands,) turning a backward and a forward somersault to the right of the bar, and getting down and up again on the left side of the bar. He can lie extended full length on the top of the bar, bend either forward or backward in a sitting posture, lift himself entirely from the bar supported only by his hands, and perform minor variations of all these movements. I attain these results by shaping, proportioning, and placing the various parts of the figure as seen in the accompanying drawings and by placing the overhead pin at such a distance to the right of the bar upon which the figure works as to produce these motions.

Figure lis an outline sketch giving a front View of the toy, (side view of the man.) Fig. 2 gives the right side view of the toy, (backview of the man,) showing how the limbs are jointed. Fig. 3 gives a view of the under side of the overhead attachment,showing the guide for the thread.

Similar letters refer to similar parts in all views. v

The legs B B consist each of one piece and are joined to the body A by the pin c a.. The arms consist each of two portions C and D. C is joined to the trunk A at the shoulders by the pin b b. Washers (marked d d) are placed between the arm portions C C and the trunk A. The arm portions D D are joined to the outside of the portions C C by pins, (marked cc.) The other ends of arm portions D D, forming the hands, are held in position by a pin which passes thus: first, through the outer hand; second, through the hollow tube marked F in Fig. 2; third, through the inner hand; fourth, through distance-piece e, and, lastly, through the perpendicular pole. This pin E, passing through the tube F, forms the horizontal bar upon which the figure performs.

G is an overhead pin set in aframework or attachment to the pole, which attachment is placed at a sufcient height to allow the man to keep clear of it when turning over the bar. This pin G must not be placed immediately over the horizontal bar, but a trifle to the right of it. Thus in a model the exact size of this drawing it would be placed three eighths of an inch to the right of a perpen dicular line raised in front (left side) of the horizontal bar.

To the pin f, which passes through the head of the man, a thread is fastened. This thread rises from the head, passes under the horizontal bar to the left and thence upward through space L, Fig. 3, to the overhead pin G. It passes over the pin G, down through space M, and thence downward through an eyelet in the base or stand of the toy to the hand of the operator. Upon this thread being drawn or pulled the body of the figure ascends and sits upon the bar, the groove h in the lower portion of the body securing a firmer seat. Upon the thread being slacked the figure leans backward (to the right) and passing its feet over its head turns a complete somersault, thus returning to its voriginal position. The thread is now wound completely around the body, but is hidden in the deep groove or channel g g, which is cut in all the prominent edges of the trunk and head to receive it. Upon drawing the thread again the figure turns another somersault (this time a forward one) and is again seated upon the bar, and so on at operators will.

I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patentl. A performing gure, jointed at hips, shoulders and elbows, suspended from a pin, said pin passing through the hands of said figure and through a tube or roller; said tube and pin being fixed horizontally to a pole or other perpendicular support; an overhead casing provided with a pin fixed horizontally,

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and a thread-guide, which forms the floor of said casing; a thread fastened to head of said figure, passing upward through said threadguide, over said pin, and thence downward through said thread-guide; as herein described and illustrated.

2. In a toy, the combination of a ligure jointed at hips, shoulders and elbows, suspended from horizontal pin; an overhead casing furnished with a horizontal pin and a thread-guide, and a thread rising upward from head of gure, through the threadguide, over the pin and again through the thread-guide, substantially as specied.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

ALBERT GIBSON.

Witnesses:

CHARLES F. CLARKE, MIRIAM A. CLARKE. 

